by Gundula

20 Jan 2018

At a negotiation course in a financial institution in Germany, I saw one of the participants doodling on a notepad. Pictures began to appear as I watched her out of the corner of my eye.

During the break, I asked the participant about it. It turned out that she had managed to combine her hobby with the job she got after finishing her studies. In her daily life, she is a webmaster and customer service manager. And outside work, she draws.

It all began with an order for a mural drawing for a friend’s restaurant. Then thanks to word-of-mouth, she received other orders. She didn’t end up having to choose between job security and her hobby because her employer agreed that she could go part-time.

She’s not yet 30 and was wise enough to go for “and” rather than “or” with the result that she is totally fulfilled in both careers.

What passion or hobby would you like to make room for so that your daily life would be that bit more fulfilling?

by Gundula

13 Jan 2018

Mantras, prayers and other types of repetition all have the same goal: to create a path towards belief.

Athletes are well aware of this as are worriers. The kind of people that say “I’m never going to manage it – I’m never going to manage it – I’m never going to manage it ….” end up with as disastrous a result as those who say “I’m going to win a medal – I’m going to win a medal – I’m going to win a medal” end up with a favourable one.

Your words will create your future. Your words are like a hammer to a nail. Your words are like a key to door. Your words are the GPS of your destiny. Your words are like dynamite that dislodge the fear of tomorrow.

What mantra should you repeat in your head to really hammer the idea home in 2018?

by Gundula

04 Jan 2018

« 1 m 80 [5’9″]? » said the person I was talking to, somewhat taken aback. Well, yes actually, I am every single one of those centimetres. But the thing is, I have spent my entire life compacting them by tilting my hip to one side, hanging my head or stooping to make myself appear the same height as my shorter compatriots.

I used to make myself physically and metaphorically smaller: “I didn’t go to university”, “I’m blonde”, “I haven’t got a witty reply to everything”, or “I don’t understand anything” are all things I’ve heard myself saying all my life.

Nelson Mandela was right when he said: Our deepest fear is not that we are weak. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?

For my 50th birthday, I bought myself my nth pair of high-heeled shoes, because women in high heels always look like someone to be reckoned with. I also enrolled on a Master’s degree, because it’s never too late to learn, but the main gift I gave myself was permission to say that I’m clever, that I’m bubbling over with enthusiasm and full of common sense, and most of all, that I’ve got a talent for inspiring others!

Is that big-headed of me? Perhaps. But it’s a much more effective springboard than always starting off by saying that I’m useless!

What about you? What inner light would you like to shine out so that you can change the world in 2018?